Mining machine having three boring heads



July 1, 1958 L. D. HAGENBOOK 2,341,377

MINING MACHINE HAVING THREE BORING HEADS 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 22, 1957 INVENTOR. Loy D. Hagenbook 4, I ATORNEY July 1, 1958 L. D. HAGENBOOK 293419377 MINING MACHINE HAVING THREE BORING HEADS BY Loy D Hagenbook A TTORNEY July 1, 1958 1.. D. HAGENBOOK 2,841,

MINING MACHINE HAVING THREE BORING HEADS Filed Jan. 22, 1957 a SheetsSheet 3 IN VEN TOR.

BY Loy D. Hagenbook Mrromwzr July 1, 1958 HAGENBQOK 2,841,377

MINING MACHINE HAVING THREE BORING HEADS Filed Jan. 22, 1957 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 F". z: Q

o a 1 0 I d 0 d o 0 $2] IN V EN TOR.

Loy D. Hagenbook A TORNEV July 1, 1958 1.. D. HAGENBOOK 2,841,377

MINING MACHINE HAVING THREE BORING HEADS Filed Jan. 22, 1957- 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 o INVENTOR. H BY Loy D. Hagenbook ATTORNEY July 1, 1958 L. D. HAGENBOOK MINING MACHINE HAVING THREE BORING HEADS 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Jan. 22, 1957 k .0 R o m m e I H 00 V N r. H N .4 D m V]. T O A L Y; B

a 2,841,377 Ice Patented July 1, 1958 Mill MINING MAfCHENE HAVING THREE EQREJG HEADS Loy D. Hagenhooir, Chicago, 111., assignor to Goodman Manufacturing fioxnpany, flhicago, lllL, a corporation of'Illinois Application .lanuary 22, 1957, Serial No. 635,244

4 iainss. {$1. 2627) This invention relatesto improvements in mining machines of the boring type employing a plnralityof laterally spaced rotary boring heads.

Mining machines of the type above-mentioned have heretofore employed more than two boring heads so as to be especially adapted for relatively low vein mining conditions. In all such machines one of the principal problems has been that of carrying away the cuttings produced by the boring heads from adjacent the working face to a point at the rear of the machine. For this purpose, some machines have been provided with a single conveyor with a cuttings receiving throat disposed centrally of the machine. Other machines have been provided with four boring heads, in which two conveyors each have. receiving throats opening between the pair ofboring heads nearest the opposite sides of the machine.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide animproved form of boring machine having three boring heads adapted to produce contiguous bores of substantially equal diameter in advance of the machine,

together with a novel arrangement of a single elevating conveyor with its throat disposed between two of the boring heads, toward one side of the machine, and with a novel means for transferring the cuttings tosaid throat from the thirdboringhead.

Other objects of the invention will appear-from time to time as the following description proceeds. The invention may best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a front view of a machine made in accordance with the invention; this view is repeated diagrammatically in Fig. 3;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary section taken on line 2-2 of 'Figure l with the boring head'rotated to an upright position;

Figures 3, 4', 5 and 6 are diagrammatic views showing various relative positions of the radial arms of the three boring heads'of the form shown in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a front view showing a modified form of machine made in accordance with the present invention;

Figures 8, 9, 10 and 11 are diagrammatic views showing various relative positions of the radial arms or" the three boring heads of the form shown in Figure 7;

Figure 12 is a diagrammatic view showing a gear train for driving the three boring heads in the directions shown ingFiguresl to 6-and with the. central boring head, driven attwice. the speed. of the outermost boring heads; and

Figure 13 is a diagrammatic view showing a gear, train for driving the; three of the boring heads atrthesame speed and in the, directions shown in Figures 7 toll, inclusive.

Referringrnow to details or" the embodiment of the invention illustratedin Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, it indicates generally a mining machine of conventional form equippedv with multiple boring heads, and including a mobile frame 11 with endless tractor treads 11a and a tiltable auxiliary frame 12 at its front end on which the cutting elements are mounted. The cutting elements herein consist of three laterally spaced rotary boring heads 13, 14- and 15, and upper and lower chaincarrying cutter bars 16 and 17 immediately to the rear of said heads, for removing the depending and upstanding cusps left between the boring heads. The two outermost boring heads 13 and 15 may, as usual, have a pair of radial arms 18, 18 and 19, 19 respectively, and a second pair of shorter intermediate arms 21, 21 and 22, 22, at right angles to the longer arms of their respective boring heads. The long and short arms each have forwardly projecting cutter supports 23 and 24 respectively at their outer ends. Each of theboring heads 13, 14 and 15 may also have a burster cone 25 projecting coaxially therefrom. The boring heads 13 and 15 have drive shafts 26 and 27, respectively, rotatably supported in the auxiliary frame 12. Loading scoops or paddles 28, 23 are mounted on the outer ends of the longer arms 18 and 19 of the two heads 13 and 15.

The center cutter head 14, disposed between the heads 13 and 15, may be of substantially the same construction as the. outermost heads 13 and 15, excepting that it has only one long cutter support-carrying arm 2%, or the same length as the arms 18 and 19 of said adjacent heads, and a somewhat shorter cutter supportcarrying arm 30 extending in alignment with said long arm. Said long arm 29 also has on its outer end a scoop or paddle 31 which is preferably larger than the scoops or paddles 28 of the adjacent heads 13 and 15. The center head has a drive shaft 32 rotatably supported in the auxiliary frame 12.

A cuttings conveyor 35 extends lon itudinally along the mainframe it), and with a cuttings-receiving throat 36 disposed between the two boring heads 1.4 and 15 adjacent the fioor level.

VJith the arrangement of three boring heads 33, 14 and 15, and the receiving throat 36 of the conveyor 35 as shown in Figure 1, the boring head 15' is rotated in clockwise direction, while the boring head 14 is rotated in counterclockwise direction so as to sweep the cuttings deposited on the floor during the boring operation toward the conveyor throat 36. The third boring. head 13 which is farthest removed from the conveyor throat 3-5, is also rotated in counterclockwise direction so as to Sweep the cuttings deposited on the floor inwardly from thexadjacentside of the machine toward the center boring head 14, where said cuttings are in position to be picked up by the longer arm 29 and its scoop 31, so as to-be further advanced'into loading position in front of the conveyor throat 36.

It will be understood further that, in practice, the cutter chain 3% on the lower cutter bar 17 preferably moves from left to right'as seen in Figures 1 and 3 to 6, so as to cooperate with the cutter heads 13 and 14in transferring the cuttings from the left side of the machine to loading position in front of the conveyor-throat 36.

The means for driving the three boring heads is illustrated'diagrammatically in Figure 12, wherein the drive shafts26, SZand 27 of the three boring heads 13, 14 and 15 respectively, are all driven through a chain of gearing enclosed in the auxiliary frame 12. in the illustrated form shown in this figure, the gearing is driven from a drive pinion 38 of a motor 39 through reduction gears 40, 41, 42, 43,44 and 45, the last-named gear being meshed with a gear 46 fixed on the drive shaft 26 of the boring head.13 to rotatethe latter in a counterclockwise direction. The gear 44- of the gear train just described also drives idler; gears 47 and 43 to drive a gear 59 fixed on the drive shaft 32 of the central boringhead 14 so. as to drive said. boring-head at twice the speed ofthe boring head 13, and in the same counterclockwise direction.

The gear 50 on the center drive shaft 32 is connected through a series of idler gears 51,52, 53, 54 and 55 with a gear 56 on the drive shaft 27 of the right-hand boring head 15 so as to drive the latter in a clockwise direction at the same speed as the left-hand boring head'13, but

at half the speed of the center boring head 14.

It will be seen from the diagrammatic views of Figures 3m 6, inclusive, that the three boring heads are rotated in timed relation to each other, with the central boring head 14 rotating at twice the speed of the other two' heads, so that the arrns of said boring heads will at no time interfere with each other even though the path of movement of the longer arm 29 of the central boring head 15a, so as to drive head 15a at the same speed, but

head 14 overlaps the paths of movement of the, arms 18 and 19 of the outermost boring heads 13 and 15. For instance, in Figure 3 it is assumed that in one position of rotation the long arm 29 of thecentral boring head 14 is in a horizontal position extending toward and partly overlapping the path of movement of the left-hand boring'head 13, while the arms 18 of the boring head 13gme in vertical position and the arms 19 of the right-hand boring head are in a horizontal position. It will be noted that in this figure short arm 30 of the central head 14 does not extend far enough to interfere with the adjacent arm 19 of the head 15 when the last-named ar ms are in horizontal alignment with each other.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show the relative positions of the several arms after the central boring head has rotated counterclockwise through angles of'90,l8 0 and 270, respectively. 7 During the same period, the left-hand boring head 13 will have rotated counterclockwise at half speed through angles of 45 90 and 135, respectively,

while the right-hand boring head 15 will have rotated clockwise through angles of 45 90" and '135, respectively. It will further be understood that due to the greater speed of rotation of the central head 14 with respect .to

the head '13 which is farthest removed from the conveyor throat 36, the scoop 31 on the longer arm 29 of' centralhead 14 will serve'to advance the cuttings which are deposit'ed at or adjacent the .floor from the boring head 13." 'Alsothe scoop 31 carried'by the central bo r ing head is preferably of greater capacity, that is to 'say,

in order of twice the size, of the scoops 28' carried on. the arms 18 and 19 of heads 13 and 15. Dueftothe arrangement just described, the cuttings deposited at or near the floor by both the boring heads 13 and '14 will 'be constantly progressed toward' the right into loading position in front 'of the conveyor throat 36. Simultaneously, the cuttings deposited at or near the floor by the t right-hand head 15 will be advanced toward the left by 7 scoops 28 on arms 19 into loading position in frontof the conveyor throat 36.- V V 1 In the modified form of boring head "arrangement shown in Figlres 7 to 11 and in Figure 13, the 'general arrangement of the three boring heads is substantially the same as described in connection with the form shown manner just described. In this gearing, the drive pinion.

58 operates through a train of gears 60, 61,62, 63,64 and 65 similar to that .shoWn and described in 'connec-. tion with Figure 12 to drive gear 6 6 on shafti26a of the left-hand head 13a in a counterclockwise direction. A

'modified form of gear train, including idler gears 67, 68

and 69 are driven from gear 64, and drives a gear 70 on the shaft 32a of the central head 14a at the same speed t 4 in the same direction as the head train of idler gears 71, 72, '73, 74, 75 and 76 connect the gear 70 with a gear 77 on the drive shaft 27a of boring in the opposite direction tothat. of the heads 13a and 14a. 2 a

With the arrangement of drive gearing and radial'arms 7 shown in Figure 7, the arms of the three heads are driven V in a slightly difierent timed relation to each other so as to avoid interference between the adjacent arms. For

example, Figure 8 shows the angular positions of the cutter arms when the central head 14a has'its arms in horizontal position. The two arms of the head 13a are" then in vertical position or at an'angle of 90 to the arms. of the central head14a, while the arms of the head 15a" (which are rotating in the opposite direction to that of heads 13a and 14a) are disposed at an angle of to As will be seen from Figures 9, 10andj the horizontal. I 11, continued rotation of the three heads atequal sp'eeds each other without interference;

It will be noted further inrFigure 7 that theiscoopsforf paddles'31a carried on the ends of the arms of the central head 14a are substantially larger than the scoops 28a carried on the ends of the arms ofthe two outermost heads 13a. and 15a.' This arrangement is particularly designed so thatthe scoops on the central head 14a will have sufi'icientcapacity to handle the cuttings produced by the left-hand .head 13d and progress such cuttings 14a toward the right, into loading position'in. front'of therconveyor throat 36. 7

, Although I have shown and described. certain embodiing from the spirit and scope of the invention asdefin'ed by the appended claims. 7

I claim: a a 1. In a mining machine, a ally spaced'boringheads rotatably mounted on therframe, there being a single boring head at each end of theline and a single boring head ther'ebetween, the boring heads having radially extending arms' of substantially equal length with-forwardly projecting cutter'supportsat their ends for cutting contiguous overlapping bores in advance 7 of the machine, a conveyor having a receiving throat opening adjacent the floor level between two of the boring heads, means on the frame for rotatingthetwohoring headsonone side of the throat in the same directionto progress cuttings along the floor toward the throat, means f V for rotating thethird boring head in the opposite direc-.

tion to progress cuttings along the floor toward the throat, V V

a cutter bar extending along the floor transversely of the throat, and a cutter chain movable along the cutter-barto progress cuttings along the floor in the same direction as the two boring headswhich rotate in the same direction,

'in Figure 1, excepting that all three of the boring heads 1 a allyspaced boring heads rotatably mounted on'the frame,

there being a single boring head at each end of the line and a single boring head therebetween, the boringheads having radially; extending'arms of substantially equal length with forwardly projecting cutter supports at their ends forcuttingcontiguous overlapping bores in advance of the machine, a conveyor having a receiving throat opening adjacent the floor level between two of the boring heads, means on the frame for rotating the two-boring heads 'on one side of the .throat in the same'direction'to progress cuttings along the floor toward the throat, means for rotating the third boring head inthe opposite direction to progress cuttings along the floor toward the throat,

and scoops at the outer ends of the radially extending arms of the boring heads, a scoop on an arm of the central boring head being of substantially larger capacity than the scoops on the 'of the other two boring heads.

13a still further will cause the adjacent arms of, the threeheads to-pass together with the cuttings'produced by the center head ments of my invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without depart mobile frame, a line oflater- 2. In a mining machine,'a mobile frame, a line of:later-' 3. In a mining machine, a mobile frame, a line of laterally spaced boring heads rotatably mounted on the frame, there being a single boring head at each end of the line and a single boring head therebetween, the boring head at each end of the line having a pair of radially extending arms and the central boring head having a single radially extending arm of substantially the same cutting radius as the said arms of the boring heads at the ends of the line, said radially extending arms having forwardly projecting cutter supports at their ends for cutting contiguous overlapping bores in advance of the machine, a conveyor having a receiving throat opening adjacent the floor level between two of the boring heads, means on the frame for rotating the two boring heads on one side of the throat in the same direction with their arms in non-interfering relation with each other and with the central boring head rotated at twice the angular velocity of the boring head farthest from the throat to progress cuttings along the floor toward the throat, and means for rotating the third boring head in the opposite direction with its arms in non-interfering relation with the arms of the central boring head and at the same angular velocity as the boring head farthest from the throat to progress cuttings along the floor toward the throat.

4. In a mining machine, a moblie frame, a line of laterally spaced boring heads rotatably mounted on the frame,

there being a single boring head at each end of the line and a single boring head therebetween, each boring head having a plurality of radially extending arms of substantially equal length with forwardly projecting cutter supports at their ends for cutting contiguous overlapping bores in advance of the machine, the cutting radii of the arms being substantially equal and each boring head having the same number of said arms, a conveyor having a receiving throat opening adjacent the floor level between two of the boring heads, means on the frame for rotating the two boring heads on one side of the throat in the same direction to progress cuttings along the floor toward the throat, and means for rotating the third boring head in the opposite direction to progress cuttings along the fioor toward the throat, all three boring heads rotating at the same angular velocity and in out-of-phase relation to each other with their arms in non-interfering relation to each other.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,726,963 McKinlay Sept. 3, 1929 2,694,562 Synder et al Nov. 16, 1954 2,796,244 Gonski June 18, 1957 

